the essential
This Saturday, June 29, a historic train from the Le Train historique de Toulouse association is traveling to Bordeaux for the Wine Festival, with a stop in Montauban. Have a good trip !
The Le Train historique de Toulouse association is putting a train from the 1960s back into service for the Bordeaux Wine Festival. Leaving Toulouse at 6:50 a.m., it will serve nine stations, including those of Montauban at 7:31 a.m., Castelsarrasin at 7:45 a.m. and Moissac at 7:54 a.m., before arriving in Bordeaux around 9:55 a.m. The train will be towed by a BB 7 200 electric locomotive dating from the 1970s. Passengers, for their part, will take their place aboard DEV stainless steel compartment cars which ran in the 1960s. They will be able to contemplate the landscapes of the south-west of France in a ” dynamic museum”, as expressed by Michel Bouche, president of the Le Train historique de Toulouse association, founded in 1989.
A lively day
In addition to the bucolic views, train passengers will be able to enjoy a lively bar offering hot and cold drinks, pastries and other snacks. In Bordeaux, travelers can go to the Wine Festival, on the banks of the Garonne (entrance at €23). Those who are not particularly interested in wine will be able to enjoy the city’s many attractions: Rue Sainte-Catherine, Porte Cailhau, Saint-André Cathedral, etc. Not to mention the museums and numerous terraces and cafés. The return journey is scheduled for 7:25 p.m. from Bordeaux, with a stopover in Montauban at around 9:51 p.m.
Historical but active
The association is active with 14 events planned for this year 2024, five of which have already taken place. The train passed, among other places, the coasts of Roussillon and the Catalan Pyrenees. On July 21, he will travel to Hendaye from Lacourtensourt to offer his travelers the benefit of the Atlantic Ocean and the Basque Country. But on a historic train, the journey itself is a real adventure, aboard a vehicle from another time. Because the association allows us to “bring the French railway heritage to life”, explains Michel Bouche. And this is made possible thanks to the work of the association’s volunteers, whether they are former railway workers or simple enthusiasts.
